Up to 4 Milwaukee Starters Could Miss Bulls Bout

As the Milwaukee Bucks gear up to face off against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, in what should be a walkover win, they’re dealing with some ominous health news.

Per the NBA’s most recent injury report, as many as four Milwaukee players could miss out on the bout against their Central Division nemeses, set to tip off at 7 p.m. CT.

Three-time All-Star Bucks small forward Khris Middleton continues to recover from a pair of ankle surgeries undergone over the summer and has already been ruled out. Starting shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. has seen his status demoted to questionable as he grapples with a right calf contusion. All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and All-Defensive center Brook Lopez have both been downgraded to probable. Antetokounmpo is dealing with right patella tendinitis, while Lopez ihas a right quad contusion.

On the Bulls side, 3-and-D reserve point guard Lonzo Ball is being rested to manage his left knee. The 6-foot-6 UCLA product played his first game since January 2022 during the Bulls’ season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans. He has undergone three surgeries, and is being rested to manage the recovery.

All three of Chicago’s two-way players — power forward E.J. Liddell, big man Adama Sanogo, and guard DJ Steward — are considered questionable, meaning that they may be sent to Hoffman Estates to suit up for the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s NBAGL affiliate. Little-used hyperathletic Chicago backup guard Dalen Terry has been dealing with tendonitis in his left patella tendon, but has had his status upgraded to available.

Playing without Antetokounmpo, Lopez, Middleton and Trent could prove costly for Milwaukee, even against a Bulls club with a 28.5-win over/under projection for the season. Chicago is loaded with guards for some reason, to the point where head coach Billy Donovan often slots in some of those players at power forward.

Antetokounmpo, an eight-time All-Star, is one of the league’s most dynamic two-way players. In his first game for Milwaukee this year, a 124-109 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, the 29-year-old scored 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, grabbed 14 boards, dished out seven dimes and blocked one shot.

He closed out Chicago’s 123-111 loss to the Pelicans with a four-guard lineup, plus starting center Nikola Vucevic. Even with such a lopsided roster, the Bulls do have talent — especially at the guard spot. Should at least one of Antetokounmpo or Lopez play, the Bucks might still have enough to survive one of the Eastern Conference’s shoddier squads.

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Publish date : 2024-10-25 22:40:00

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